The Metallix Wars Season 1
by Strider The Reaper
Summary: Returning to planet Mobius after a 3 year absence, Strider The Hedgehog  my OC  finds the world overrun by the machine empire of Metal Sonic. To save the planet, Strider must locate the resistance and induce the downfall of the Metallix Empire.    Rated T for violence and rare instances of language. Image by Deekman, Yawarckhary, Vortex, Arsenic, Nate The Hedgehog and Daniel Sydney
1. Prologue: Dawn Of The Empire

_~The following Audio File originated from a device recovered from Mushroom Hill moments ago~_

_~There are many dark forces in this world. Mad scientists, alien warlords, creatures from the pits of hell – I've seen and fought them all. But there are few times in history where a force as relentless as this latest, greatest threat can overthrow our world order and take total command. One day, a terrible individual led an unstoppable force against the armies of humanity and established an empire that ruled with an iron fist...literally._

_Many have tried to topple this regime, but all attempts have been met with failure and total massacre. But there is one group that still stands defiant. One group that has secretly worked from the beginning to restore the freedom of this once great world and it is to them that I must go. With a group of loyal allies, I will lend myself to this guerrilla resistance and, with any luck, the empire will fall. Oh bugger! I forgot to introduce myself._

_My name is Strider...and this is my story of the Metallix Wars~_

_~End of Audio File~_

…

**Prologue: Dawn Of The Empire**

_All around, heat was radiating. Night in the volcanic province was usually dangerous, but tonight was different. Standing in silence, surveying the flow of lava, was a lone figure. When a gush of lava spurted up, it could be seen that this figure, whoever it was, was seemingly fearsome, adorned with spikes, with a somewhat metallic shine.  
>"Didn't your mommy ever tell you not to take things that don't belong to you?"<em>

_Out of the darkness, engulfed in the glow of the lava, was another figure: a blue hedgehog.  
>"So...you got my message then?" Spoke the first figure, turning to reveal himself. He too was blue, but his body was of metallic construction; his forearms much like gauntlets; and his eyes - his cold robotic eyes - gazing with restrained hatred.<br>"Did you really think I'd stand idly as you turned this world into a dump?" the hedgehog replied, with a degree of cockiness. "How long has our rivalry lasted Metal?"  
>"Much too long! It's time for me to step up and take what is rightfully mine: dominion of this planet!" Metal barked. "I will finally surpass you and my iron fist shall fall upon this world."<br>"You've come a long way from being a copycat drone Metal," the hedgehog replied. "I'm almost concerned."  
>"You are foolish to underestimate me Sonic! My power is grater than ever before!" As he spoke, Metal callously threw several monotonous objects to the floor: seven lacklustre gemstones.<br>"Even the Chaos Emeralds cannot help you now!"_

_To Metal's moderate surprise, Sonic didn't appear worried. In fact, the azure hedgehog appeared to be fighting laughter.  
>"Is that it?" he chuckled. "That's your great surprise then?"<br>His rival's mockery was like a poke in the eye to Metal: stupendously irritating. However, he remained silent.  
>"I don't see what's so funny. Please enlighten me."<br>"Your anger and bitterness has blinded you to the true power of the Emeralds," Sonic jeered. "You only absorbed their negative energies."_

_Without so much as lifting a finger, the Chaos Emeralds began to levitate and gravitate around Sonic in a wide circle. For split seconds, their colours flickered red through violet and their united energies began to form a golden aura around the hedgehog.  
>Metal was all too aware of what was happening, but saw no reason to panic. Instead, his expression was one of twisted joy.<br>"It's time to see the error of your ways Metal," Sonic called, as his fur began to change from blue to gold.  
>"I have you now!"<em>

_Before Sonic could realise what was going on, all seven Chaos Emeralds began to radiate sinister crimson light and, in a moment of stunned silence, bolts of red lightning arced from the Emeralds to the now azure hedgehog, blasting him with feral energy. The sound of Sonic's convulsions of agony were sweet bliss to Metal. He had, it seemed, won.  
>As Sonic's limp, blue form collapsed to the ground in a steaming heap, Metal strutted over to the prone hedgehog, knelt down and reached for his throat.<em>

_"H-How?! Wh-What did you d-d-d-?" Sonic murmured, every word more painful than the last.  
>"What did I do? When the Emeralds denied me their full power, I knew you would try to use that power against me," Metal callously replied, "Which is why I saw fit to reverse the energy flow with Chaos Control. Instead of giving you power, the Emeralds drained it from you. That power now feeds me."<br>"Y-Yooouu... you monster!" Sonic was now struggling to retain consciousness.  
>"That's just the beginning. With my newly acquired power, I intend to shake the foundations of this world and, in the ruins, I shall build a glorious empire that will endure for eternity." Soon, Metal began to laugh–a harsh, barking laugh that resonated for miles as a fresh plume of lava burst skyward.<br>"Once that's done, I believe I'll move onto those oh so irritating friends of yours."_

_This comment struck home precisely how Metal intended. Sonic jolted with sudden rage.  
>"You can't! You wouldn't dare!" Sonic yelled, grasping Metal's arm tightly.<br>"I wonder who I should start with," Metal pondered, pretending not to have heard Sonic's last retort. "That fox boy has always been quite a pest... then again, that red-dreaded knuckle-head is more what I'd call a "thorn" in my side–oh! Of course. Perhaps that hapless "girlfriend" of yours."  
>Something in Sonic's mind snapped-he wouldn't.<em>

_"Oh I can hear it right now: her screams; her begging for mercy. Ooh, I can just feel my hand clutching around her throat-"._

_With a sudden burst of energy, Sonic's left hand compacted into a fist and made a beeline for Metal's face. But the maniacal machine was too fast. No sooner had Sonic thrown his punch had Metal caught it in his cold, vice-like grip.  
>"Not so fast you maggot!" Metal's tone had now become more severe and he now began tightening his grip on Sonic's arm. "One false move and I could crush you right here right now!"<br>"Then d-do it! Just kill m-me!" Sonic groaned resentfully.  
>"You know something-I could. At long last, I will have succeeded where my worthless creator and countless greater beings have failed... but I have no time for martyrs. Instead, the mystery of your fate shall spread unease and panic as I enhance my grip on this world."<em>

_With a flicker of insanity in his eyes, Metal's grip on Sonic's wrist locked and, in one swift motion, tore off the hedgehog's arm, severing it at the elbow. Excruciating pain overwhelmed Sonic as he looked from the stump of his arm to Metal, holding the limb upon high like a sacred idol._

_For the first time in his life, Sonic felt an unfamiliar sensation-a sensation he often steered well clear of-fear. Something had happened to Metal that turned him into this... this... indescribable evil._

_But Sonic couldn't think of it now. All feeling slowly ebbed away as heat exhaustion and pain began dragging the blue hedgehog into the cold, heartless embrace of darkness.  
>Stepping back to admire his malicious masterpiece, Metal, with an alien sense of vigour, held aloft the bloodied arm in his fist and roared skyward as the volcanic landscape behind him reached an explosive crescendo.<em>

_Victory at last._


	2. Chapter 1: Strider's Return

**Chapter 1 - 1: Strider's Return**

_3 years later..._

"You are an enemy of the empire! You will cease your escape attempt or face termination!"

A lone sentry was in pursuit of an unknown target. The sentry had been tracking this target for the past mile and could sense that it was growing tired and fatigued.  
>"Target locked! The sentry called, raising it's boxing glove-like arm. "Launching in 3-2-1!"<br>At this moment, the sentry's right fist had sprung bullet-like from it's wrist and into the desolate darkness ahead, followed swiftly by a thud...and a scream.  
>"Target contacted! Activating Retrieval Protocol!"<p>

Holding it's arm out, the sentry stood watching as its fist slowly reeled back, as if attached by some invisible cable, clutching its prey: a pink hedgehog in a tattered red dress and matching boots. Every fibre of her being appeared terrified beyond comprehension as the sentry brought her close to its face.  
>She could now clearly see her captor: a seven foot machine shaped like a trash can with huge, fearsome fists. She had seen one before, many years ago, but this one bore few similarities.<br>"Target verified! Identity: Amy Rose! Black mark by data file indicates that you are a Tier 1 Enemy! Sentence: Termination!"  
>"No! You can't!" the hedgehog pleaded, struggling in a futile attempt to shake herself from the sentry's grip, but to no avail. "Let me go, scrap brain!"<br>"Request denied! Activating Termination Protocol in 3-2-1!"

Almost too afraid, Amy slowly began to open her eyes, expecting an all conquering white light. Instead, she seemed somewhat bemused to still see the darkened forest. The sentry had fallen back and shut down. Though unsure at first about what had just happened, Amy could make out two rod-like objects sticking out of the sentry's eye pieces. They looked like arrows. Before Amy could begin to put it together in her head-  
>"They just don't make 'em like they used to, do they?"<p>

Turning to face this rugged saviour, Amy was hit with a cocktail of emotions that paralysed her to the spot for a brief moment. Her rescuer, dressed in a large, brown overcoat and loose black trousers and vest, was a tall purple hedgehog that looked no older than 19. Though he at first appeared heterochromic, one eye a tranquil blue and the other a piercing red, further inspection indicated that his left eye (the red one) was a robotic implant.  
>"Did you miss me?"<p>

"Strider?" Amy asked, her voice almost a whisper.  
>"That was my name last time I checked," he replied cockily. Holding his arms open, he gestured Amy forward. Though wary at first, taking slow steps, the shaken pink hedgehog soon broke out into a jog, eventually collapsing into the arms of her old friend.<br>"It's OK Amy. I'm here now," Strider said gently holding the girl in his comforting embrace. "I know you'll want to rest, but I'm afraid we have to move-my contact with the resistance can't wait all night.  
>"It's just half a mile West, so we should be able to get there before dawn. Amy?"<br>Relaxing his grip, Strider could see that the pink hedgehog in his arms had gone as limp as a wet jigsaw puzzle.  
>~<em>Oh!<em>~ he thought amusedly to himself. ~_I think she's fainted. Guess I'll be carrying her then._~  
>With a moderate amount of effort, Strider heaved the unconscious Amy over his shoulder, holstered and drew a plasma dagger from his jacket pocket ("You try firing a bow with an unconscious girl on your shoulder!") before turning West and starting his laborious journey.<p>

_Knock knock...knock kno-knock knock._  
>Considering his admittedly peculiar baggage, it came as a great surprise to Strider to pass through the woods without attracting attention. Either unconscious girl carrying was a new tradition or he was the luckiest son-of-a-bitch alive. Whatever it was, he had arrived at his destination with minimal bother and had quickly, but calmly, knocked on the door of the dilapidated-looking shack in a way that would seem out of place to an onlooker.<br>Moments later, movement could be heard from within and a raspy voice called out:  
>"Have you any idea how late it is? Some of us are trying to sleep!" Now-what do you want?"<br>"I'm here to see *Maria*," Strider replied.  
>A moment passed.<br>"Oh! Well then...uh...come in-quickly!"  
>The door of the shack creaked open, almost like a cliché. Not wishing to linger on the doorstep, Strider slump in.<p>

Despite its outward appearance, the shack was actually a little tech-ridden: a computer of sorts sat upon a mahogany desk by the wall, a single light bulb hung from the ceiling and a circular pad (possibly an teleporter, elevator, etc.) lay in the middle of the floor.  
>"Sorry for the cranky old man act Strider," came the voice, changing to a gruffer, more natural sounding tone. "I couldn't take any chances."<br>Out of the corner emerged the source of the voice: a rough-looking black hedgehog; red streaks on his muscular limbs and quills; and a triangular patch of white fur on his chest, largely visible through his open black trench coat.

"How is she?" he asked, gesturing to Amy, who Strider had laid onto a mattress resting against a nearby wall.  
>"Well, she's been out for half an hour," Strider said. "Going on that, I'd say she had quite a shock from the combination of me and that sentry."<br>"I'm surprised she didn't whack her giant hammer out before she got a good look at you."  
>"You may whip your gun out at any mysterious figure crossing your path Shadow, but that's not how I roll."<br>This remark made Shadow chuckle a little: a rare sight.  
>"So-you gonna tell me what's been going on?" Strider said, parking himself down on the mattress next to Amy, who began to stir.<p>

Rubbing her eyes, she seemed initially puzzled by her surroundings before her senses could return.  
>"Ugghh...that was...that was rough," she groaned clutching her her head as if in some sort of trance.<br>"You back with us?" Shadow asked, his attention momentarily distracted.  
>"Sh-Shadow? Boy am I glad you're here. Where's Strider?"<br>"Turn around sleepy head," Strider said.  
>Doing so, Amy once again came face to face with the purple hedgehog-her saviour. After an awkward pause, the two once again met in a warm embrace.<br>"Looks like you did miss me."  
>"Yeah!" Amy replied "Three years is a long time."<br>"Three years? Blimey!"  
>"Ahem!" Shadow interrupted.<br>"Sorry Shadow-reunions and all that. So...how did this begin?"

Returning to the forest, the sentry's body lay undisturbed except for the arrows embedded in its eyes. Suddenly, the silence of the forest was broken by the sound of heavy metallic footsteps.


	3. Chapter 2: To Fight Or Not To Fight

**Chapter 1-2: To Fight Or Not To Fight**

"Woah!"

It was clear from the exposition provided by Shadow and Amy that Strider had been gone a LONG time. A month after Strider's departure, it seemed that an individual known as Metal Sonic had made off with the seven Chaos Emeralds (gems of formidable power) and brought the world to its knees.  
>At the dawn of this dark era, a select group, of which Shadow was a member, joined forces in an attempt to restore freedom...but all their actions were met with defeat or (at best) stalemate-the power of the empire was too strong.<p>

Strider also learned of Amy's exploits and was surprised that she had managed to evade capture for the past three years However, the lack of relayable information meant she had to hop from safe house to safe house to find the resistance.  
>"I've got to say Amy: that's some rotten luck," Shadow said. "After a while, I almost lost hope, especially after..."<br>"I know Shadow," Amy said, placing a hand on his shoulder. "We lost more than just Green Hill that day."  
>At the mention of Green Hill, Shadow's head dipped, a spot of sadness visible in his crimson eyes. Strider guessed that to pry any further would be in bad taste.<br>For a moment, all that could be heard was the forest ambience...the swooning wind...the chirping of crickets...the sound of metallic footsteps...

_Thud thud thud!_  
>"Open this door!" boomed a harsh mechanical voice. "We are conducting an investigation into the location of freedom fighters in this area and have obtained search warrants."<p>

"Damn!" Shadow exclaimed. "A patrol."  
>"I forgot to hide the body," Strider said. "This is my fault."<p>

"Open this door!" the sentry repeated. "Failure to comply will result in detainment!"

"Never mind!" Shadow said, grabbing a rifle from the table and typing rapidly into a keyboard. "We have to get out of here. Now!"  
>"Can't we take 'em?" Amy asked.<br>"Patrols are usually eight strong-take out Strider's victim and that leaves seven. These aren't run-of-the-mill grunts either. They're good."  
>As he finished, the circular pad in the middle of the room chirped.<br>"All aboard!" Shadow beckoned.

"Open this door! This is your last chance!"

Cramming onto the circular pad, the trio of hedgehogs descended. The shack, it seemed, had a basement. Truth be told, this "basement" was more like a bunker: gun racks lining the walls; complicated computers gathered around the pad; and crates of tools strewn around, emblazoned with a large "G". This must've been an old G.U.N. safehouse.

"You have failed to comply! Preparing breach protocol!"

"OK! We haven't got long!" Shadow said, dismounting the elevator and rushing to an escape hatch. "Strider-grab as many weapons as you can carry and bring them over...but not that red box. Leave it on the elevator and input the number 10.  
>"Amy-there's a cardboard box for you by the wall-bring that too. Apologies in advance-I had to guess your size."<br>"Size?" Amy asked, somewhat puzzled (and perhaps a little offended).  
>"It's not a good idea to fight robots in a dress! Hurry up!"<p>

"Breaching in 1..."

Having heaved the curious red box onto the elevator, Strider typed 10 into the keypad, which showed up on an LCD display. What was in here?

"...2..."

"Are you done Strider? Shadow called, filling an escape pod. Strider nodded. "Now hit the green button!"  
>Doing so, Strider saw the 10 flicker into a 9...8...<br>"Is this a-" Strider began.  
>"NEVER MIND! GET IN THE POD!" Shadow roared, signalling for Strider to leg it like hell.<p>

5...4...

"3!" The sentry yelled, crashing through the door of the shack.

Reaching the pod in the span of a heartbeat, Strider couldn't brace himself for the inevitable.

An eruption of fire sprouted like a tumour from the red box and blasted the circular pod down an abyssal tunnel out of sight. The force of the explosion then tore through the shack, the sentries and a half mile radius of the forest, engulfing everything in a ball of infernal fury.

_**Open transmission  
>Central Command 2 Log In<br>Control Unit Omicron 1A Alpha Log In**_

_**CC 2**__"This is Central Command 2. What news do you bring?"_

_**CU **__**ὀ**__**1Aα**__"Central Command 2: this is Control Unit Omicron 1A Alpha. We have lost contact with Patrol Unit Gamma 6F in the vicinity of Leaf Storm Forest. Requesting an extra platoon to carry out an investigation."_

_**CC 2**__"Request Accepted. A platoon of Delta Troops is en route to your garisson."_

_**CU **__**ὀ**__**1Aα **__"Thank you Central Command 2. Control Unit Omicron 1A Alpha out."_

_**Control Unit Omicron 1A Alpha Log Out**_

_**CC2**__"Hmmm! Could it be...?"_

_**Central Command 2 Log Out  
>Close Transmission<strong>_


	4. Chapter 3: Mind That First Step

**Chapter 1-3: Mind That First Step**

As the sun rose upon the new day, the carnage of the previous night was all too evident. Scorched trees, blackened and skeletal, lined the edge of a vast crater where an innocent looking shack once stood. Now, all that was left was devastated timber planks and robotic debris.

Two miles away, far from the reach of the explosion, Strider was sat by the remains of the escape pod that carried him and his allies to safety. Sifting through a crate of firearms, he found a pistol, reminiscent of a Beretta M9. Though he would always prefer his longbow, he knew that a secondary weapon wouldn't do much harm.  
>"You ready yet Strider?" asked a gruff voice.<br>"Almost," he replied. "Be there in 5 minutes."

"Make it quick. We need whatever time we have."  
>Within a ring of large and seemingly lively mushrooms, Shadow stood, binoculars in hand, having spent his morning surveying a nearby outpost. Sitting on one of the larger 'shrooms was Amy, who, after much coaxing, had changed into a redwhite top and ankle boots (similar to her usual get up), a pair of short jeans, a leather jacket and black fingerless gloves. Though the whole situation was relatively difficult, she was holding up well.  
>"Sorry to keep you guys waiting," Strider said, entering the circle and sitting by Amy.<br>"That's one way of putting it," Shadow growled, sounding a little on edge. "Now we can begin."

During the next half hour, Shadow filled Amy and Strider in on why he had set up camp in the forests: it turned out that Shadow had been sent by the resistance to "collect" information from an imperial outpost that concerned the fortress town controlling the sector. In the three years of Strider's absence, the resistance had managed to bring down Metallixa Gamma and Delta (all at great cost), though Beta was proving somewhat difficult.  
>Fortunately, the escape pod came out in Mushroom Hill, practically next door to said outpost, speeding up Shadow's mission. Now it was all a matter of hacking the mainframe and making a beeline for the resistance HQ.<p>

"Any questions?" Shadow asked.  
>"Just one," Strider said. "How has it taken so long for you to get this intel? Couldn't you have used Chaos Control at any point?"<br>"That would have been a fine idea had it not been for the fact that when Metal seized power, he locked the Chaos energy out to anyone but himself. Chaos Control is now essentially impossible.  
>"Chaos powers also generate a psychic ripple that imperial sensors could detect, so it wouldn't be a good idea to use them if we're trying to stay covert. So...you ready to move?"<p>

The Mushroom Hill outpost, as isolated as it was, still had an aura of caution about it. Ten foot high mesh fences lined with razor wire and monitored by floating sentries; a constant patrol of imperial machines, reinforced by a platoon that had arrived the next day; and, at the centre, an ominous cylindrical structure quite like a tower (albeit one with turrets on all sides), which Strider had been told was both an automated defence system and the main data bank.

It seemed insane that Shadow was going to attempt to break in, but he had to carry out his mission.  
>"If I'm not out in five minutes, head for Sunset Hill," he said, crawling through a gap in the fence. "It's 2½ clicks east: I've agreed to use it as a rendezvous point."<br>"What if no-one's there?" Strider asked.  
>"Uh...we'll think about it when we get there. Just keep an eye out."<br>With that last sentence, Shadow slipped through the fence. Using what espionage skills he retained from his experience with G.U.N., Shadow spun around a low wall and out of sight.

For a brief moment, Strider was caught in the unsettling silence, feeling cold and sealed off from the rest of the world. Though he was used to this feeling from three years of travelling through space, it was nonetheless a worrying feeling. The only thing that stopped him from panicking was Amy's presence, stood at the other side of the gap in the fence, though she too appeared to be quite terrified.  
>In that moment of merciless silence-<br>"Organic life forms: state your name and intent!"

Before she could get a grip, Amy wheeled round, drew a hammer from thin air and hurled it, knocking out a floating sentry droid. Realising her mistake, Amy looked back to Strider, held in a moment where all she could see was his shocked face. This spell was broken however when a blaring noise, sharp and wailing, echoed through the clearing, emanating from the down sentry.  
>"SYSTEM ALERT! SYSTEM ALERT! INTRUDERS DETECTED! INTRUDERS DETECTED!"<p>

Having reached a computer terminal with considerable ease, the real challenge came from hacking into it and finding the appropriate files. Imperial computer networks seemed to have a ridiculous amount of firewalls and Shadow was having difficulty working into the terminal.  
>~Where's the Doctor when you need him?~ he thought to himself. ~Wait. What am I thinking?~<p>

Though it took him all his self-allotted five minutes, Shadow had finally found what he was looking for: detailed plans of Metallixa Beta's security structure. After inserting a blank disk, now it was just a matter of waiting. Fortunately, it didn't take too long. As Shadow went to retrieve the disk –

"SYSTEM ALERT! SYSTEM ALERT! INTRUDERS DETECTED! INTRUDERS DETECTED!"

Within seconds, red lights were pulsing all around the immediate area and the monitor of the terminal went dead. Fortunately, the data was already extracted and Shadow made for the exit, taking occasional pot shots at whatever stood in his way.

What had happened to Strider and Amy?

Rooted to the spot with fear, the only thing that could be heard above the infernal siren was pulses, electric-like, on the other side of the fence. Breaking free of the engulfing darkness, Shadow reappeared and vaulted through the hole in the fence.

"WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED?" he yelled.  
>"I don't know," Amy replied. "I just...just got caught off guard. Panicked."<br>"It's not your fault Amy," Strider said. "It was that sentry that-"  
>"Never mind now – JUST RUN!" Shadow interrupted.<p>

Sure enough, the recently arrived platoon had begun to barrel out of the front gate and started to pursue the three hedgehogs.  
>"Base – this is Infantry Unit 5F Alpha. Intruders have been detected. We are now in pursuit."<p>

Even with crazed automatons, Strider got a deranged kind of thrill running from impending doom. The hedgehog trio had outrun their tormentors and stopped half a click east.  
>"Right," Shadow started. "Exactly what happened back there?"<br>"Well," Strider replied, still trying to catch his breath. "The darkness was kinda unnerving - and..."  
>"It was my fault," Amy interjected. "I panicked...and...and -<br>"Downed one of the perimeter sentries, setting off the defence systems."  
>"Yeah, and -" Strider stopped for a second. Either Amy had become a master ventriloquist or that wasn't her speaking.<p>

Glancing over his shoulder, Strider's fear was confirmed: behind him stood the origin of the voice. A two meter tall imperial android; arms that were made into vicious, clawed pulse blasters; a single eye that appeared to be staring down at the off guard hedgehogs; and a body shape somewhat reminiscent of a chicken. 

"Ah!"  
>"Squad! Reveal yourselves!" the machine called.<p>

In a wide circle, fourteen other imperial troops burst forward from the shadows. They looked largely like their leader, but each had two eyes and lacked claws on the arms. The metallic ring slowly began to close in on the hedgehogs, who'd also closed in, now standing back to back.

"Got any ideas?" Shadow whispered reaching his hand towards his coat.  
>"Uh...maybe," Strider said, looking kind of doubtful. "Amy. When I give the order, grab your hammer and -"<br>"Silence!" barked the lead robot. "You have been caught having broken into an imperial compound and vandalised imperial property. The penalty for these combined offences is termination".

"Any moment now would be good," Shadow whispered.  
>"Wait for it," Strider replied.<p>

"In the meantime you shall be detained until further notice. Failure to comply will lead to immediate termination".

"Wait for it."

"Squad! Detain these prisoners!"


	5. Chapter 4: First Contact

**Chapter 1-4: First Contact**

"Now!"

Before the Deltas could charge their weapons, a huge whirling hammer knocked them into the dirt, incapacitating them, giving the trio of hedgehogs a chance to dive for cover.

"What do we do now?" Amy cried, shielding herself behind a fallen tree.  
>"Looks like we have to fight," Strider replied, hiding behind another as the Deltas whirred back to life.<br>"I thought that was a bad idea."  
>"We don't have a choice Amy."<br>"Besides," Shadow said. "The small ones are Deltas: your common/garden troops. In other words, they're cannon fodder. Just watch out for the Beta - the one in charge"

Removing the Shadow Rifle from his trench coat, Shadow dived out of cover, blasting the robots with energy pulses. The majority of the shots missed, though two Deltas had been struck in the face, causing them to crumple to the floor.  
>"Thirteen to go!" Shadow roared, reaching the cover of a boulder as a red pulse screeched past his face.<p>

"Enemies confirmed. Beginning combat protocol," said the lead robot, gesturing for his troops to take cover.

Popping out from behind his tree, Strider loosed an arrow. Piercing through the air, it found an eye piece knocking the target down. Twelve left.

On the other side, Amy was having less luck. Her lack of experience with a firearm was showing as she failed to hit a single target. Struck by inspiration, Strider gestured for Amy's attention, narrowly missing a well-aimed shot from the Beta.  
>"Get your hammer-I'm chucking you a grenade!" Strider called, unstopping an EMPG. Once she added it together in her head, Amy retrieved her hammer from Hammerspace, giving Strider the go-ahead.<p>

As Strider threw his grenade towards Amy, she swung her hammer around with all her might and launched it at three Deltas sheltering behind a rock. All three were engulfed in a wild blue shockwave, scrambling their CPUs.  
>"That makes six!"<p>

"Haha! See what I told you guys" Shadow roared. "Just a little m-ARGH!"  
>Screaming in pain, Shadow fell behind his boulder-one of the Deltas got lucky.<br>"Damn!" Strider exclaimed. Now it was two against nine.

The eight remaining Deltas (plus the lead Beta) were closing in. With rapidly diminishing cover and Shadow down for the count, Strider knew it would take a miracle to get the three of them out of there. Just then, the relentless machines stopped firing.  
>"Enemies of the Empire. You are outnumbered by more than 4 to 1. Yield now and your lives *may* be spared," barked the leader.<p>

As suddenly as the last idea came, Strider was struck by inspiration yet again and gestured Amy towards him. It was a long shot, but what choice did they have?  
>"This is your last chance. Yield or be terminated."<p>

Whispering the idea to Amy, Strider noticed her surprise, but she knew as he did, that they were out of options.

With what energy he had left, Strider threw himself towards Amy, curling into a spinball. As the hammer struck, Strider began to hurtle through the air in an arc above the bemused robots. Unravelling in the air, Strider pulled of the grenade belt, threw it to the floor and drew his bow. Focusing on the belt, Strider fired one last arrow. For a moment, there was silence…until-

FZAZAZAZAZAAAAAAAAAA!

The arrow had pierced one of the grenades and the resultant explosion had set off a chain reaction. Pulse after pulse erupted from its metallic shell and the remaining Deltas were trapped in a dome of electricity. When the dust cleared, all that remained was crumpled machinery.

Picking himself back up, Strider looked to Amy, who was shaken, but not too injured. But then it all came back to him.  
>"Shadow!"<br>Running towards Shadow's boulder, Strider rolled it aside and reached down to help the prone hedgehog. After a brief moment, Shadow awoke.  
>"Urgh…wh-what happened?" he groaned, sounding liked he'd suffered a hangover.<br>"Almost thought we lost you there," Strider replied. "A damn lucky sharpshooter."  
>"Not lucky enough, eh? I'm still breathing."<br>"I guess that's why they call you the Ultimate Life Form."  
>Chuckling for a second, Strider hauled Shadow back to his feet. An energy pulse had burned the left side of his torso, but Strider knew that he could manage.<p>

"You OK Shadow?" Amy asked, hurrying over, still visibly concerned.  
>"I've had worse - believe me!" he replied, grinning a little.<br>"So much for stealth," Strider said, holstering his bow.  
>"At least the disk is safe."<br>Reaching into his coat, Shadow retrieved the Intel that they'd fought so hard to acquire. Putting it back in place, the black hedgehog began to walk away.  
>"There's no time to clean up. We need to keep going. Sunset Hill is two clicks east and we need to make camp by nightfall."<p>

Hurrying to catch up, Strider and Amy took Shadow's flanks and the three hedgehogs took off, leaving the Deltas to their rest. The same could not be said for the Beta.

_**Open transmission  
>Infantry Unit Beta 5F Alpha Log In<strong>___

_**IU **_**β5Fἀ **_"Central Command 2: thi *bzzt* this is Infantry Unit *bzzt* Beta 5F Al *bzzt* pha."_

_**Central Command 2 Log In**___

_**CC2 **__"This is Central Command 2. What…what's wrong with your signal?"_

_**IU **_**β5Fἀ **_"My un *bzzt* it was att *bzzt* attacked by resistance *bzzt* fighters. Two of them were Tier…1 enemies of the Emp…ire."_

_**CC2 **__"Did you get a positive ID?"_

_**IU **_**β5Fἀ **_"Identif *bzzt* fied: Amy Rose and S *bzzt* Sha… Shadow the Hedge *bzzt* ho…"_

_**Infantry Unit Beta 5F Alpha Log Out**___

_**CC2 **__"Infantry Unit Beta 5F Alpha: report. I said report!"_

_"…"_

_**CC2 **__"Damn! …Did he say Shadow the Hedgehog? Central Command 1; this is Central Command 2. I have important news."_

Night seemed to arrive quickly, but by the time that the sun turned in, the three hedgehogs had reached Sunset Hill and had set up a bright, but modest fire. At the edge of the glow, Shadow was pacing in a circle, looking relatively disgruntled.  
>"They were meant to be here," he growled. "What's taking them?"<br>"They might've been sent to the wrong place by mistake," Strider suggested, lying next to the fire near Amy, who'd sat down the moment the camp was established.  
>"I don't want to admit it, but that sounds like these guys to be honest. One time they-"<br>Shadow had been cut short. Something seemed to have been caught in the corner of his eye.  
>"What's up Shadow?" Strider asked.<p>

The dark hedgehog did not reply. Instead, he gestured Strider over. Unsure what his intentions were, Strider decided to go along with it. Reaching into his coat, Shadow pulled out the intel disk and handed it to Strider.  
>"If I don't return by morning, take Amy and head to "this" location," Shadow whispered, also giving Strider a marked holomap.<br>"But…where are you going?"  
>"…It's not important. Just do as I say. You never know – I might return before morning."<br>"But you don't intend to."  
>"Don't worry about me Strider. I'll be fine."<br>Shaking Strider's hand, Shadow disappeared into the darkness.

"Where did Shadow go?" Amy called.  
>"I don't know," Strider replied.<p>

Walking back over to Amy, Strider sat down and began to recount what had just happened. Once he was done, Amy suddenly looked quite melancholy – Strider felt that she knew something.  
>"What is it?" he asked. Amy remained silent. Though he wished to know what happened, Strider knew not to ask.<br>"Anyway," Amy said. "What have you been doing for three years in space?"  
>"I suppose we've got plenty of time to talk about it. Where do you wanna start?"<br>"How about the beginning?"  
>"Yeah! Probably the best idea," Strider chuckled.<p>

For the next half an hour, Strider had begun to recount his three year odyssey of the galaxy, recounting his encounters with many weird, wonderful and worrisome aliens: his trial-by-fire from the native-like Deti Poziaru; the on-going war between the N'rrgal and the Zoah; the migration of the great Void Leviathans; Strider had seen so much in three years and, predictably, didn't have the time to tell his wonderous tale.  
>"It was utterly terrifying most of the time," he continued. "But it was that good kind of terrifying. You know what I mean?"<br>Though Strider was a most interesting individual and he could captivate anyone with a good tale, it seemed as though the day had taken its toll on Amy, who'd drifted to sleep .  
>"I hope this doesn't become a regular occurrence," Strider muttered quietly to himself.<br>Shedding his jacket, the purple hedgehog placed it over Amy's prostate form, ensuring her that little extra bit of warmth.  
>"Good night Amy."<p>

Walking to the other side of the fire, Strider sat down and drew his longbow, keeping his eyes, both organic and cybernetic on the surrounding darkness. A sudden gust whistled along the edge of the clearing, extinguishing the fire.

This was going to be a long night.


	6. Chapter 5: The Time For Swift Action

**Chapter 1-5: The Time For Swift Action**

At the edge of a valley, several miles from Sunset Hill, a lone, darkened figure sat in meditated silence. In a time of unrest, such behaviour could be viewed as surreptitious… and indeed it was. The one figure was waiting for someone.

Silently, a second figure approached the first, his long coat billowing in the wind. Just as he was a few yards away –

"It isn't easy to sneak up on someone with my kind of training."

As this last sentence rolled out of the speaker's mouth, his eyes snapped open, revealing hawk-like, yellow irises. Standing up, he continued to speak.

"Though I will admit you are improving… Shadow!"

Turning around, the figure clapped, creating a light from a small combustible substance held in his hands. The light illuminated the two figures, revealing the second to be Shadow. The first was a dark pink chameleon; a yellow horn jutting out of his head; black clothing all over his body; and an Oriental-looking sword strapped to his back.

"Nice to see you too Espio," Shadow replied.

"Why did you contact us Shadow?" Espio asked. "Given that you're meeting me face to face, I can only assume that something has happened."

"No, everything's fine. I found Amy and Strider and we were on our way to HQ, but… we had a run in with an imperial platoon."

"What?!"

"We fought them off, but they're bound to have reported us. Any minute we could have a whole century down on us."

For a moment, Espio remained silent.

"Why couldn't you have told us this over the comms? It could've saved a lot of trouble."

"I don't trust the security of the comms lines anymore," Shadow growled, turning his head down. "Not after…"

Espio nodded, seeing Shadow's discomfort and not questioning any further. In an instant, the atmosphere had become slightly more forboding.

After an awkward silence, Espio once again spoke up.

"Where are Strider and Amy now?"

For a moment, Shadow still remained silent, his head still turned down.

"Shadow!" Espio shouted, returning the dark hedgehog to his senses.

"Sorry," he growled. "What was that?"

"I said where are they?"

"Oh, of course. When I left, they were camped at Sunset Hill Zone, just across the lake from Vermillion Falls. We need backup ASAP."

Pondering for a moment, Espio eventually came up with an answer.

"You've done a great job Shadow. I'll contact HQ and get a group together. You, meanwhile, will report back base and –"

"Fat chance!" Shadow barked back. "I'll be returning to Strider and Amy with this 'group'."

"Sorry Shadow, but I've been told to bring you back – by force if necessary."

In a flash of movement, Shadow and Espio whirled round and unsheathed their weapons. Now Espio stood with his blade level with the barrel of Shadow's rifle, both combatants ready to strike.

"Just try it chameleon – I dare you!" Shadow growled.

"This isn't a time for games Shadow. You know full well why you can't go back there."

"I don't care! I'm not going to risk losing anyone else in this DAMN war!"

"Cool it Shadow! You weren't the only one who lost something at Green Hill. We all did."

The very mention of Green Hill caused Shadow's glare to intensify. Regardless, Shadow lowered his gun.

"Do what you wish! This rendezvous is over." Shadow then turned and began to walk away.

"You can't hide from the past Shadow. I thought you'd proven that before."

It was too late. Shadow had melted into the darkness and Espio was once again alone. Grabbing a fistful of leaves from a pouch, he threw them to the ground and was gone in the blink of an eye.

…

Unbeknownst to Shadow and Espio, there was a third party listening intently to the conversation – an imperial sentry.

"Interesting. Central Command 2, this is Patrol Unit Epsilon 3B Alpha. I have important information to report."

…

Dawn began to break on Sunset Hill. The spectacle of the Sun's rays upon the lake's azure waters cast a magnificent vermillion glow upon the nearby waterfall, hence its name. Despite the presence of a mechanical empire, it seemed as though some natural beauty still existed.

Nearby, Amy began to wake, fully refreshed from the previous night's skirmish. As she sat up, she felt a large solid object roll off her – Strider's jacket. Touched by his gesture, Amy began looking around for the purple hedgehog and found him staring across the lake, binoculars in hand.

"D'ya sleep well?" she asked, still rather groggy from waking up.

"I did… until I saw this," Strider solemnly replied, throwing the binoculars towards Amy. "You're not gonna enjoy this.

Catching the binoculars, Amy stood up and looked towards the spot where Strider was pointing but almost dropped them after she got a good look.

"Is that…?"

"I'm afraid so. We've got to go!"

"But… what about Shadow? He hasn't returned yet."

"We move out now. He told me we had to head towards this location." Strider then pulled out the holo-map Shadow gave him and indicated a point 3 miles south of Red Mountain. "Even if it means we go without him."

"But… OK."

Hurriedly putting his jacket back on, Strider grabbed his bow and quiver and took off towards Red Mountain with Amy close behind.

…

As the two hedgehogs took off into the distance, the cause of their departure became all too apparent. At the other side of the lake, a century of imperial troops was marching towards the camp.

"We've got them now," the leader said, charging his arm blasters. "You remember our orders – capture the pink hedgehog."

"What about the purple one, this mysterious 'Strider'?" questioned a trooper who appeared to be second in command, who was armed with dual machine guns attached to its arms.

"Central Command 1 made no special arrangements for him. He's fit only for termination."

Raising one arm, the leader gestured for the century to move out. Time was running out for Strider and Amy.


End file.
